I Don't Deserve You
by Xhiam
Summary: Robin and Olivia struggle with their self-worth. Each thinking that the other person is too good for them.
1. Part I

Part I

The Shepherds campsite is filled with laughter and joy despite Ylisse being plunged into another war. Soldiers are celebrating another victory against Risen, and their future princess's arrival, around the campfire, exchanging food, drinks, and stories. Sully and Gregor began drinking mead quickly trying to drink faster than each other while people cheered them encouragement, curious to see who would win. Vaike went up to Chrom demanding another rematch, while Sumia sat next to their now met future daughter, Lucina, smiling awkwardly as her husband tried to wave Vaike away. Gaius and Nowi were off collecting an assortment of sweets that belonged to the others in camp, with a nervous Donnel in tow. Lissa and Maribelle began dancing together along with other Shepherds. It was evident that everyone is having a good time, even Lon'qu had a smile painted on his face; although he did try his best to hide it. Every member of the Shepherds gathered together, all except for one – the man whose brilliance is the reason the Shepherds were given the opportunity to celebrate in the first place.

Olivia sighed, many people have asked her to dance, and although she did accept a few offers, she hoped that Robin would have been one of the men to ask her. She asked people if they had seen Robin anywhere, many of which gave her the usual "he's probably in his tent" answer. He wasn't. That was the first place she searched, she even checked a few couple times afterwards just in case. She finally met some luck when she walked up to Stahl and Panne. The two sat at a table sharing a meal that Olivia assumes to be the carrot dumplings that Stahl makes specifically for her. Olivia admired how the two of them are so comfortable with each other. She became good friends with both of them during their last war campaign, but she felt as though her bond she shared with either of them couldn't compare to the one the two shared with one another. As she approached them, she could hear Stahl asking Panne more about her Taguel culture, making her grin from ear to ear and, her eyes sparkle with pride as she spoke more about her tribe.

"Excuse me," Olivia said quietly hoping that she won't bother them. Panne and Stahl both turned to look at the outside source of volume. Olivia let out a small blush as the two of them offered her a small smile.

"Hey, Olivia!" Stahl greeted, not a speck of irritation in his voice. Olivia took note of his welcoming tone and released the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Can we help you with anything?"

"Umm, yes actually if you don't mind…?" Olivia had no idea why she is so nervous. Nonetheless, Stahl gave her a reassuring nod that encouraged her to ask whatever she came up to them for. "Have any of you seen Robin by any chance? I've been looking for him and... umm... no one else knows where he is and I'm just – er." Panne's and Stahl's smile grew slightly bigger when Olivia mentioned Robin. The pair is aware, as well as a good handful of Shepherds, of Olivia's crush on their tactician. Careful as Olivia thought she was with it, many of observant Shepherds took note of how bashful Olivia gets around Robin. Not to mention how many excuses she made to go see him during the two years of peace Ylisse had after the first war.

"I'm sorry Olivia I haven't seen Robin anywhere." Stahl answered. "Maybe you should ask someone el-"

"I saw him." Panne interrupted Stahl. Olivia's eyes lit up, filled with hope. "He's not in camp. I saw him leave an hour earlier towards town. I apologize that I can't tell you exactly where he is."

"This is more than enough information, thank you Panne!" Olivia beamed. "I'll head straight to town and bring him back to camp so he can enjoy the festivities as well!"

"Take a cloak." Panne suggested. "The clouds are full and it may start raining sometime tonight. Also, it won't hurt for you to take a sword. It's dark and thieves are probably around. Be cautious, Olivia."

Olivia smiled at the two and gave them her thanks as she turned on the balls in her feet. She made her way towards the tent she shared with Cherche and quickly made her way to her chest. She searched for suitable clothing to take for the rain Panne had warned her about. She had worn her dancer clothes in the rain before – it was the night she helped the Shepherds escape from Plegia. Olivia remembered what little coverage her outfit offered her, leaving her cold and wet as she stomped around in her then ruined sandals. She found the assassin garb Robin had given her a little over a week ago. He had told her that once she is ready, she should try to go into the assassin class so that she may become stronger. Although she isn't going into the battle field and isn't planning to be an assassin anytime soon, she was sure that he or Chrom wouldn't mind her wearing the gear for tonight. Olivia removed the daggers from the armor, too afraid that she might hurt herself or someone around her as she didn't receive any training with them yet. She also removed the scarf since she will be wearing a cloak instead, she wouldn't need the extra fabric to weigh her down. Olivia tied her boots as quickly as she was able while making sure that she brought a small amount of coin as well as her steel sword hidden behind her cloak.

Olivia experienced nothing but peace on her way into town. The last war had left Olivia with sour thoughts of Plegia. She expected Plegia to be filled with brigands, terrifying people like Tharja or even creepy people like their new companion Henry. But after walking through the lush gardens of Plegia and hearing the calming serenade of crickets performing their songs, she could see how someone like Robin would wear Plegian robes. As she approached the town, she could hear the faint voices of townspeople enjoying their night. It wasn't a surprise as many towns were full of life during Saturday nights, however it still left Olivia a bit astounded knowing they fought a battle against risen not that far from where the town stood. The battle had come as such a surprise that they were barely able to escape with their lives and here there are people going on with their lives not knowing what the Shepherds just experienced. She recalled Robin barking orders with confidence soaked into his words, but his eyes still held a faint glint of fear.

Olivia walked around the dirt road surrounding the town, looking for building that Robin may be inside of. She found herself in front of a library, a smile making another appearance on her face. She never thought she would have liked libraries as much as she does now that she joined the Shepherds – during her time in the theater troupe, stories were always spoken. She had spent a lot of time in libraries now, Sumia and Cordelia showed her a diverse amount of romance novels, Maribelle showed her the array of books that noble women read and Ricken had even taken her to the library every now and again since the two of them liked reading together. Robin had also gone to the library with Olivia albeit he mostly just showed her carpentry and architecture books for their theater project. Olivia's heart raced when he would find a book that grabbed his interest, his eyes would light up and he would give a handsome smile that would make Olivia give the faintest blush. Olivia stepped toward the old oak doors of the library and tried budging on them, but the doors were locked.

"Of course, the library is closed no one goes to the library at night, stupid." Olivia whispered to herself. She continued making her way into town. Her pink hair bouncing with every quick step she took, as she tried to avoid the gazes that men threw at her as she walked by. As she passed by many streets and food stands with enticing smells, small droplets of water began to fall; clouds giving the warning that water will start falling harder and faster. Glad that Olivia was that she brought her cloak, she still didn't want to be caught in the rain. She began to wonder if Robin had already turned back to town, and she was just walking through town like a lost puppy.

Rain began to fall rapidly, no longer feeling like tiny kisses on Olivia's skin. Olivia walked hastily towards the nearest building and stood there smelling the air and pondered if she should stop for a bit to eat as she went right in front of a pub. The inviting sounds of laughter gave Olivia the impression that the terrifying cut purses of Plegia wouldn't be in this building. She made her way inside, the bright lights blinding her slightly while her boots tracked in mud on the grimy wooden floor.

"Oi, lass! I know my floors ain't the cleanest but ye can't just be tracking in mud like ya please!" The bartender called out while cleaning a large glass mug. Behind his full beard, Olivia can see a toothy smile.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Olivia almost yelled, her cheeks holding a heavy blush that competed against Cordelia's red hair. Olivia found people beginning to look at her and her blush was threatening to crawl on her neck. "Stop staring!" Olivia called out as she quickly looked around for a place to sit. Her eyes skipped over the many men and few women that stared at her with their cheeky smiles. Her eyes made an abrupt stop at a hooded figure seated at the end of the bar, mixing their drink with a glass swizzle stick.

"Why are ya mixing ye drink, lad? Ain't nothing but beer in there!" Olivia heard the bartender tell the hooded man as she slowly approached the two.

"Just because," the man responded. "It's keeping me distracted." The bartender laughed a hearty laugh while patting the man in the shoulder.

"Whatever ye say. Just let me know when ya need anotha drink, Robin." The bartender replied while walking away to accommodate for his other customers in need of a drink. Olivia's ears perked up and she sat down in the seat next to Robin. Robin being distracted in his own head didn't realize the dancer sit next to him. Olivia cleared her throat and he looked up, meeting his eyes with her own. He offered her a weak smile and pulled back his hood, his white hair finally breathing out of the purple hood.

"Hello, Olivia." Robin said while taking a sip out of his glass.

"Have you been here the whole time?" Olivia asked. Robin nodded behind his glass. "How many drinks did you have?"

"Uh... I don't know a few." Robin replied setting the drink down and resting his head on his fist.

"I never took you as a drinker." Olivia eyed Robin as he tensed a little.

"I'm not. Not really, anyways. I've been under a lot of stress lately and it's helping me calm my nerves." The two sat in silence until Olivia let out a small smile. Robin returned her smile, no longer giving her the lazy smile he gave her earlier. "Do you want anything? I'll buy you whatever you want."

"You don't mind?" Olivia asked. Robin shook his head and her smile widened. "I wouldn't mind getting something to eat."

"Hey, Gus!" Robin called out. The bartender turned and looked at Robin. "Can you get me a steak here? And a glass of wine." Gus smiled with a nod and went in the back.

"I'm okay with drinking water, Robin." Olivia smiled. "But, uh, do you mind telling me why you're here in the first place? Is it because of the battle we just went through?" She watched as he looked at his hands, specifically his right hand.

"Uh, I don't know maybe…?" He looked at Olivia, her eyebrow raised. He quickly turned around and started tugging on the strings of his cloak. "Olivia, what do you think of me?"

Taken aback Olivia blushed and hesitated. "W-what does that h-have to do with a-anything?"

"Just give me an answer, Olivia. Please."

Olivia cleared her throat and started playing with a strand of hair, looking away from Robin's gaze. "Well, uh… you're a great tactician and a very k-kind person. You're very intelligent and a reliable f-friend."

"Oh." Was all Robin can say, his frown deepening.

"Here ya, go Robin!" Gus interjected. "One steak and a glass of wine!"

"Could you please give the lady a glass of water, Gus?" Gus smiled and served Olivia a glass of water. Robin thanked him and Gus went back to cleaning glasses.

Olivia took the food and bite into it, her eyes lit up at the taste – she was so glad to have something other than camp food. She turned to Robin to smile, but he sat slumped looking defeated as he drank two big gulps from his drink.

"Did I say something wrong, Robin?" Olivia frowned, she really hoped that she wasn't the reason he drank those two gulps with haste.

"No, you're fine."

"Are you fine?"

"Yes."

"…. Robin."

Robin drank the rest of his drink, then looked at Olivia. "Are you going to drink your wine?" Olivia shook her head and Robin took the drink. He took a drink and clicked his tongue trying to grasp the flavor the wine is offering.

"Robin… do you want to talk about something?" Olivia hoped that he would stop drinking so much, she didn't want him to get ill.

"Nope."

"Are you sure?" Robin nodded. "Robin... please I'm worried about you."

Robin took another drink of wine then looked at her, Olivia noticing how exhausted he looked.

"I'm a worthless piece of shit." Robin finally said looking at Olivia, his expression stoic. Olivia stood there shocked, how could he say something like that? He stared at her what felt like a million years for her, the gears in her head turning trying to process why Robin would think of himself as anything less than great.

"W-what?" Olivia was finally able to stutter out.

Robin let out a small huff of air and started to swirl the wine glass around, studying the crimson ripples form. "Nothing, forget I said anything... eat your food it'll get cold." Offering her a false smile that delegates would hand out during court.

Olivia shook her head. "I'm sorry I just never expected you to say that about yourself. You're one of the most important people in this army."

"Yeah, I'm important in the army, but what about outside the army?... During Ylisse's gap of peace, once I finished laying out the foundation of reconstruction plans, I didn't do much of anything. I couldn't help but feel… lost."

The two sat in silence, Robin had already sat the glass of wine now and started tracing a pattern on his gloved right hand. Olivia watched him, puzzled at the odd shape he was illustrating.

"You know," Robin began, now focusing on twiddling his thumbs. "I did try to make something out of myself after the war. I wished to join Chrom's council, I went up to the court and presented my case. They dismissed me from the room having told me they must speak amongst themselves. Lissa took me to hidden pathway built for a royal's escape in case of any mayhem happening in the courts and we heard everything those counsel men said about me." Robin turned to Olivia, let out a dry chuckle. "They called me an idiot. A genius in war, but a fool in everything else. I sat in that hidden passage with Lissa as she tried to whisper reassurance to me about how wrong they are. I listened to her, but after the last two battles we've seen with unbeatable odds, I realized just how good I am in using people's lives like a damn chess game. My body races with adrenaline and my heart beats with confidence whenever I put a battle plan to use. I get a sense of euphoria during war – I've never felt it with anything else..." Robin looked away from Olivia, afraid to see her reaction to his confession.

"… In the last battle, when we were caught off guard, I thought you were scared – I thought I saw it in your eyes," Olivia finally spoke. "Was I wrong?"

"No. Believe it or not, I'm still human. I don't want you or anybody else to get hurt under my watch... No matter how retched my view on war is, I promise that I won't hurt you in any way, Olivia." Robin offered her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before taking another sip from his wine.

A blush spilled on Olivia's face, her lips twitch into a smile. Olivia steeled courage into her system and reached out for Robin's gloved right hand resting on the counter. Her fingers lightly fluttered on top of his hand; he flinched his hand slightly, afraid that his hidden brand may burn the back of his hand more if another person were to touch it. Frowning, Olivia retracted her hand back and took a shaky defeated breath while setting her hand aside next to Robin's rather than on top. She looked down at the coffee colored counter, concentrating on all the water marks other customers had left behind. Her concentration broke when she felt a warm presence on top of her hand. Olivia turned to see a pink cheeked Robin swirling his glass of wine, his protected hand over her exposed one. Olivia smiled widely at him and turned around, finally facing the food in front of her.

Olivia and Robin sat in comfortable silence, Olivia eating her food while Robin finished his wine. The pair lost track of time, not realizing how late it was until Gus told the pair that he was closing soon. After Robin set down the right amount of coin, they both stood up and left the building only to see that the clouds haven't given up their showers. Robin wore his hood then offered his arm to Olivia. Olivia hesitated for a second before putting on her own hood and taking his arm. The two looked like fools, running through the rain, laughing loudly, and Robin slipping on the mud several times – but this time, Robin didn't mind being seen as one.


	2. Part II

Part II

Robin spent countless hours in his tent studying new books and writing down as many notes as he possibly could. His messy tent is filled with stacks upon stacks of books, random loose pieces of paper littered the floor along with balled up pieces of paper, a large amount of empty ink bottles and broken feathers lay in their designated corner, and a now cold meal that Libra had brought Robin sat on his desk untouched. Robin's attention was only occupied by the book in front of him, the quill in his hand, and the sucker in his mouth that Gaius had shared with him earlier. By only concentrating on what was in front of him, he failed to notice the sound of his tent's flap opening. Robin felt a small tap on his shoulder, startled he jumped in his seat while his heart caught in his throat.

' _Dear gods, please don't let it be Lissa with another frog!'_ Robin's mind screeched to itself. He quickly turned, ready to see whatever poor slimy creature was being used for Lissa antics. He didn't see a frog, all he saw was Olivia, a silent blush slowly making its way to her cheeks.

"Oh gods! Did I scare you? I'm so sorry! How embarrassing!" Olivia yelled, her hands snapped towards her face in an attempt to hide. "I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry!"

Confused at first, all Robin could do was stare, but seeing the dancer fidget where she stood as she apologized with no end encouraged a smile to make a graceful appearance on his face. Robin let out a small laugh, "It's fine, it's fine. I just thought you were Lissa with another prank." Olivia saw no falsehood in his smile and let out a small "oh". Robin looked at the floor and let out a sigh. The treat he was enjoying was now sitting on the ground, filthy. Olivia followed his stare and once she caught sight of the lollipop she was ready to start another wave of apologies. Before she could, Robin waved his hand and offered her a chuckle.

"Probably for the best, Sully would have kicked me my head if she saw I was eating too many sweets again." He bent down and picked up the sucker and threw it on the tray of slop sitting on his desk. "I guess I'll go throw this away right now. I don't want any bugs making late night visits to my tent… again. Do you mind waiting here while I clean this dish?" Olivia shook her head. "Make yourself comfortable." Robin said with a smile before exiting his tent.

Olivia grabbed the extra chair in his tent and moved it on the right of the chair Robin was sitting on earlier. As she sat down, she began to study the contents of his desk, her eyes caught on a roughly bound book, that Olivia assumed to be made by Robin himself. She grabbed the book and opened it to the first page. Chrom's name was the first word to greet her along with his strengths and areas he needs to improve in. "Amazing" was written at the bottom of the page and Olivia smiled to herself at the little compliment Robin had written about his best friend. As she flipped through the pages, she saw that every member of the Shepherds had their own page of stats which Olivia assumes is what Robin uses to make his strategies as accurate as possible. Olivia continued reading some of the entries, specifically the comments Robin wrote at the bottom of the page. Some soldiers' entries help high praise while others had comments that were more constructive like "Needs improvement" and "Needs to become more familiar with weapon". Olivia stopped when she turned to her page, she glanced at her stats and saw that compared to everyone else's they were relatively low. Before her eyes drifted to the bottom of the page with Robin's comment, she quickly shut the book, afraid of what he may have written down.

' _He wrote useless. All you can do is dance and not very well I may add.'_ The voice inside her head spat. _'Or maybe he wrote stupid, how dare you believe you are a soldier.'_

Olivia shook her head and began tapping the table trying to make any noise in the quiet tent. She glanced around for any other material that may help distract her from her mocking thoughts. She spotted multiple pieces of crumpled up papers, picked one up and opened it. Underlined and in big bold letters "unusable" ran across the paper. As she examined the paper closely she found the casualty that made the tactic a failure, next to the swordsman were percentages and "too risky" written next to it. Other papers that she unbaled were similar to the first, but the one that caught her eye was one that read "not good enough" on the paper. The battle plans were unfinished and it looked barren, the only thing that stood clear was a tactician, standing in the open field by himself.

"Sorry I took so long." Robin greeted as he entered his tent, causing Olivia to jump. She felt her blush burn her cheeks and creep towards her ears as she quickly baled up the piece of paper in her hands and threw it under the desk. "I ran into Sumia, or rather she tripped in front me when she was trying to get my attention." He chuckled nervously. "She gave me another book to read." He said while holding up a new book and putting it on top of another stack of tomes. He took his seat next to Olivia and raised his eyebrows when he noticed baled up pieces of paper that somehow made it to the front of his desk.

"Uh, what were you working on?" Olivia interrupted his quizzical look by grabbing a piece of paper Robin had written on earlier, her persistent blush still dancing on her face. She studied the pictures Robin had drawn alongside the notes he has written next to them. Each note explaining in great detail what each stroke represented and why it held any importance. If Olivia had looked at the drawing itself she wouldn't understand what it was trying to say. Hell, Olivia still didn't grasp the whole concept even with the help of Robin's notes.

"I'm studying new strategies to use in upcoming battles." Robin replied, ignoring the balls of paper as he looked behind him checking to see if anybody there. "I'm actually a little excited to use this next strategy in battle." Robin pointed to the paper that Olivia is holding. Olivia looked behind them as well making sure that no one snuck up on them in the last few seconds. Aside from her, nobody else knew how much Robin liked being in a war – not even Chrom. She figured that Robin is still self-conscious about his true feelings about something that is so disliked. Olivia turned and offered Robin a sincere smile, which he quickly returned to her.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but do you need anything?" Robin asked while running a gloved hand through his hair.

"Nothing in particular," Olivia said, turning her head. "I just thought you might need the company since you missed breakfast and Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour. I know how much you _hate_ missing that." Olivia joked, making Robin chuckle.

"Oh no! Not Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour! How else would I get my daily dose of torture?" Robin responded, sarcasm laced in his voice. The pair shared a nice laugh, as good as Frederick's attentions and work out benefits are, they made any Shepherd more tired than any battle could. After the two had settled down, Robin pointed at a pie that was on top of a stack of books. "I wasn't lonely though. Tharja came by earlier and brought me another eel and liver pie. As gross as it sounds it's quite delicious, I ate that over Vaike's mystery meat goop. Feel free to get a slice if you want."

Olivia shook her head. She knew that anything Tharja would give Robin was safe, but she still had a feeling that Tharja casted a curse on the pie that affected anybody that touched the pie that wasn't Robin. Olivia wrote a mental note to herself to try to talk to Tharja later, she didn't want to have any ill thoughts about any of her allies. Olivia turned to Robin, he began to look over his notes. He had his head resting on the knuckles of his left hand while his right hand rested on his desk.

Olivia managed to become brave when it came to placing her hand on top of Robin's ever since that night at the bar. She's done it multiple times since then, and Robin hasn't showed any discomfort towards it or said anything against it. Olivia took this as her chance to get that comfort she craved from that simple action. Olivia reached out for his right hand, her small feathery touch on the fabric caused Robin to jerk his hand back. Olivia quickly retracted her hand as well. Her face flushed red, unsure of what she did to make him react in such a way.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't m-mean to make you s-so uncomfortable!" Olivia apologized from behind her hands. "I though since I've done it so many times it would be okay! How embarrassing!"

Robin held his right hand close, unsure of how he should comfort the small pink haired woman. "No, It's okay!" Robin said, which made Olivia peek through her hands, her blush still pretty apparent behind her shield. "If anything, I should apologize, I should have asked you if you wanted to sit on my left instead of my right." Robin said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Olivia sat up straight her blush still intact, but no longer hidden behind her hands. She raised both her eyebrows confusion written on her face. "Uh... why does it matter what side I sit in?"

Robin blinked at her, obvious that he didn't know what to tell her. Now that he mentioned it, Olivia noticed that every time she put her hand on Robin's, it was always his left, never his right. The only time she put it on his right, aside from now, was the night at the bar; which he also pulled away. Throughout the whole night, she recalled that he would trace the back of his hand, as though he were painting a picture that only he can see. Not to mention, he always wore gloves... has Olivia ever seen his bare hands before?

"Oh, gods!" Olivia suddenly yelled out, startling Robin. "Is your right hand hurt? I'm so sorry! I didn't know! Are you okay?" Olivia was about to reach out for his right hand again to examine it, but she stopped herself. "I... uh, I can help you wrap it up. I'm no healer like Lissa, Maribelle, or Libra, but I still know basic first aid. Uh, just yesterday Henry and I helped a dog who was injured – not to say that you're a dog or anything!... I just want to help..." Olivia's voice began to drift off, she couldn't help but feel absolutely useless.

"No, no, it's okay! I'm not injured Olivia!" Robin hated seeing her look so defeated. He knew that she felt inadequate by looking at her expression. Last thing he wanted was for her to feel that way – to feel the same sensation he has felt countless times before.

"Truly...?" Olivia looked up at Robin, unsure if he was just spewing lies in an effort for her to stop overreacting.

"Truly." He responded offering her a small warm smile.

"Then what is wrong with your right hand? You never let me touch it... I don't think I've ever actually seen your bare hands before." Olivia said in a small voice, unsure if he'll even give her an answer.

Robin mulled over whether she should tell her, he's felt very comfortable with her and didn't want to lose their bond over a part of his body he didn't have any say in. Olivia continues to spend time with him even though he told her his actual feelings towards wars. She wouldn't just stop seeing him over a brand, would she?

"What do you think of House Ylisse's brand, Olivia?"

"You mean the brand Chrom has on his shoulder?" He nodded. "Oh! I think it's just wonderful! It's so simple yet beautiful and it's a gift from Naga. Why do you ask? … wait do you have the mark of Naga as well?!" Olivia smiled radiantly.

Robin gave her a crooked smile in return. "Uh, no. The mark of Naga only surfaces on the royalty of Ylisse – the descendants of the hero king Marth. I'm not even from Ylisse, I'm Plegian…" Olivia's expression melted away, embarrassed for yelling that's out so confidently. "However, I do have a brand on my right hand." And just like that her face was lit again.

"Then why do you hide it? You should be proud of it just like Chrom is with his. I'm sure yours is wonderful as well." Olivia offered him the sweetest smile she has in her arsenal, she really wanted to see his brand.

"My brand isn't like Chrom's, it's actually the opposite. His is calming, mine is... eerie." Robin said with a frown.

"Please show me. I feel so comfortable around you; no brand can change that." Olivia said her voice soaked in sincerity.

Robin stared at her for a few seconds before he took a deep breath. He first took of his left glove and began stretching out his fingers, letting them breathe the fresh air. He then carefully removed his glove on his right hand, his mark finally making a presence to Olivia. She studied every centimeter of the mark, taking in the unique pattern it made. She took notice of the eyes on his brand being the same pattern Robin has on her cloak. She reached out for it before stopping herself to look at Robin, silently asking for permission. He gave her a small nod. She reached and carefully stroked the brand. Much to Robin's surprise, his brand wasn't burning the back of his hand, rather he felt great peace at Olivia's tender touch. Olivia took her left hand and laced her fingers with his while using her right pointing finger to trace every stroke of the mark. She let out a smile and blush as Robin held her hand back.

"I... I like holding your hand," Olivia smiled shyly at their linked hands. "You should wear gloves less often."

Olivia felt Robin's hand tense, she looked up at his frowning face. "I'm sorry, I can't. I won't be comfortable having my brand out in the open. It's a bit ghastly, don't you think?" Robin questioned, wrinkling his nose as he looked at it.

"Yeah, it kind of is." Olivia let out a small laugh at the incredulous Robin gave her. "But it's a part of you, and that's enough for me to like it." She squeezed his hand lightly, causing a big smile to form on his lips. "Oh, I know! If you don't want to show your brand why don't you wear hand covers similar to mine?" Olivia showed him her right hand, the top of her hand covered neatly with fabric and a ring keeping it in place. "A lot of people in camp wear them, even Tharja and Henry, so it won't look odd at all!"

"I actually do own a pair. One of them is tattered though, so I just stuck to these gloves instead." Robin said while rubbing his thumb on Olivia's hand, making her blush deepen.

"You could have just worn the one glove." Olivia joked. "Why haven't you asked Cherche to stitch it up for you? She loves to sow and she's quite remarkable at it too. She makes it look like it wasn't ripped in the first place."

Robin shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't want to bother her. I picked up a book on sewing, but I've lost patience trying to fit the thread to the needle."

"Let's go ask if she'll fix it, grab the hand covers." Olivia said while standing up. Robin stood up as well and walked towards his chest to look for the ripped article of clothing. The two were about to exit his tent, but Robin stopped and went to his desk to grab his gloves. He quickly put them on, Olivia taking the initiative of holding his hand once the gloves were in place.

"Holding your gloved hand feels different, you should have really worn the one glove." Olivia said as they walked out the tent.

Robin scoffed. "Why would I do that, it'll look like I forgot to dress myself completely."

"Then you should have worn mine that way you don't look like you forgot to dress yourself." Olivia said laughing.

"Don't be weird."

"It'll look lovely on you."

"It wouldn't even fit me! Your hands are so small!" Robin laughed.

"What do you mean I'm clearly taller than you, my hands are bigger." Olivia said playfully.

"No, you're not."

"What makes you think I'm not."

"You're literally looking up at me right now, I'm a whole head taller than you." He responded with a smile.

"What if I wear really tall heels?"

"You'll break your ankles, don't do that."

The pair continued their odd exchange, earning them looks from the Shepherds around the area. None cared about the words they were telling each other, they were occupied smiling at the sight of their linked hands.


End file.
